God fit them all in....with room left over
by M.L.Wilson
(Alaska)
Well, this is for those of you that think Noah had to put every single animal on the ark prior to the Biblical flood in Genesis.
The fact is, the Biblical word "kind" denotes an organism that reproduces others like itself. The species concept is much narrower than this; therefore many species can be included in a single Biblical "kind."
The word kind is probably closer to the modern taxonomic unit of genus, and in some cases the larger taxonomic unit, family.
www.biblestudy.orgOne estimate for the number of 'species' on board is 2,000
Noah's Ark - A Feasibility Study, John Woodmorappe; while another is 35,000
The Genesis Flood, Morris and Whitcomb.
This may still seem like a lot, but please remember, he could use babies (one pink and one blue) as well. It was only air breathing land dwelling animals he gathered. All ocean going animals/reptiles/fish/mammals would have survived the flood just fine.
If we get generous and say there were 40,000 animals on board, they could have easily fit in approximately 167 railroad cars. Based on the cubits used to build the ark, it could have held 569 railroad cars. Therefore, the animals would have taken up less than 30% of the total space on the ark!
biblestudy.orgWith prayer, a careful examination of the scriptures and research, you too will come to believe what is written in God's word.